August 2, 2011

CorDEX Instruments to Donate Â£150,000 of Equipment to University of Aberdeen and Launch New Partnership

by ssavage

MIDDLESBROUGH, England, August 2, 2011 /PRNewswire/ --

CorDEX Instruments has forged a strategic partnership with the
University of Aberdeen, investing GBP150,000 to provide intrinsically safe
and explosion proof technologies for use in research.

The deal will see CorDEX provide equipment and onsite training in the
correct use of these groundbreaking oil and gas tools, which are certified
for safe use offshore and in explosive environments.

Over the next three years, CorDEX will donate its latest handheld
devices to the university. The ToughPIX digital camera and UT5000
Intrinsically Safe Thickness Gauge, which measures pipeline thickness to
detect corrosion, are being supplied in the first phase. A student will
spend the summer using the UT5000 - the world's first pipeline tester
designed for use offshore - in a research project.

Dr Neill Renton, head of chemical engineering within the Department of
Engineering, welcomed the new partnership. He said: "CorDEX Instruments'
tools are groundbreaking and we are excited about the prospect of having
access to the equipment and also the expertise that the CorDEX team will
bring to the department.

"The UT5000 Intrinsically Safe Thickness Gauge is of particular interest
as I know first-hand how much of a challenge asset integrity and corrosion
testing is for the oil and gas industry. To have access to a tool that can
be brought offshore or into a plant at any time without having to wait for a
scheduled shutdown has the potential to change the way operators work.

"The cost and time saving on the administration alone is staggering and
if you add to that the value of the data the tool records and its ability to
build predictive maintenance reports, the impact could be far reaching. It
has the potential to improve safety inspections in ageing assets, which
supports the Health and Safety Executive's KP4 inspection standards
introduced last year."

Tony Holliday, CEO of CorDEX Instruments, said: "It is incredibly
important for us to forge these ties with key academic institutions. The
University of Aberdeen is a leading educator of engineers in the UK and we
are pleased to be involved in the cutting-edge research taking place there.
We feel it is vital for students of this discipline to gain knowledge from
current industry practice and we hope to achieve this through the
partnership."

CorDEX aims to give the students a better understanding of the tools
available in the workplace and the restrictions required when working within
hazardous petrochemical environments.

MSc student Ryan Maurice will be putting the technology to use over the
summer as part of his Subsea Engineering degree.

He said: "My dissertation on pipeline corrosion and reliability aims to
build a model for corrosion patterns which will be used as part of the
university's overall research on this area, and may even be adopted by
industry. It is crucial to have accurate results and the equipment we had
before wasn't very reliable or quick. The UT5000 will not only provide
enhanced time efficiency but will also validate the outcomes of my research.

"It is of great benefit as a student to be able to access these kinds of
tools so we can be up to date with the latest developments in engineering,
which will also stand us in good stead when we start our careers in oil and
gas."

The University of Aberdeen has an extensive Education Partnership
Programme so that skills and knowledge can be shared between the academic
institution and industry. The relationship with CorDEX means that as well as
offering the instruments, software and test rigs, the company will also be
involved in training and seminars to add industry perspective to their area
of expertise.

Teeside headquartered CorDEX Instruments has a base in Aberdeen,
Scotland the European capital for the energy industry and has a network of
distributers across the USA, Europe and the Middle East.

CorDEX has already established a reputation since it was launched in
2009 in the mining and chemicals sectors and is now positioning itself as a
leading manufacturer of intrinsically safe and non destructive testing
products for the oil and gas industry. For further information please visit
http://www.cordexinstruments.com.